Poush Mela 2017, a spectacular carnival in the Birbhum District of West Bengal0
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Poush Mela 2017, a spectacular carnival in the Birbhum District of West Bengal

Event

Poush Mela 2017

Venue

Santiniketan, Birbhum district, West Bengal

Date

23/12/2017 to 26/12/2017

Event Type

Cultural

A blend of folk music, dazzling artworks and quintessence of Bengali culture, this is what the Poush Mela in Santiniketan is all about. Celebrated in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, Poush Mela is a cultural carnival, which is meticulously enjoyed by the people of Bengal and ample of visitors from across the sphere. Poush Mela is an annual event, which is organised at the Shantiniketan Mela Grounds every year in the month of December. Today, it is reckoned as one of the prominent international events that Birbhum and Bengal is recognised by.

The historic journey of this famous Poush Mela was initiated way back in 1843 as a small Tagore family affair when father of Rabindranath Tagore accepted the Brahmo creed at Brahma Mandir, which is famed as Kaanch Ghor or Glass House today. During those days, the occasion was limited to a handful of people at Shantiniketan. However, over the years, the festival has been turned into one of the greatest cultural events of West Bengal. One of the major reasons behind its growing popularity is the location. Bolpur or Shantiniketan is identified as the place where Rabindranath Tagore has established his vision of Shantiniketan, which later turned into a popular University i.e. Visva Bharati.

By visiting this event, one can enjoy here a spectacular live performance of folk music, folk dance and village arts. In addition, there are many rural artisans as well who flock here from nearby provinces to sell their artworks directly to the tourists and visitors. If you are planning to witness this spectacular carnival for the first time, here’s what you need to know about the key attractions of Poush Utsav:

Electrifying fireworks after dusk is a must watch in Shantiniketan, which mostly takes place on the second day of the event.

To catch an aerial vista of the dazzling carnival, the tall stand Ferris wheel (Nagordola) can’t be missed at the mela ground.

The essence of Poush Utsav is its cultural radiance, which includes a rhythmic blend of Baul’s minstrels and tribal dance along the single stringed music instrument called ektaras.

Food is the essence of every carnival, especially when it is on the soil of Bengal. So don’t miss some of the signature platters here including Paati saptha, sandesh, pancake, ghugni etc.

Similar to food, a carnival is always incomplete without bag full of goodies. Poush Mela is one of the biggest exposures in West Bengal offering you an array of craftworks, jewelleries and a varied form of enticing sarees.

Getting There

To experience this three-day event, people visit here from different parts of the world. Reaching Bolpur is not a matter of concern for visitors. One can get there quite conveniently through any of the following modes of commutation:

By Air: The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata. From the airport, one can hire a cab or board a train from Howrah Railway Station. In addition, buses are also available from Kolkata to reach Bolpur or Shantiniketan.

By Train: Bolpur is the nearest railhead located nearly 3Kms away from the destination. There are number of trains for Bolpur that run on regular basis from Sealdah and Howrah. Some of the major train to reach Bolpur are Kanchenjunga Express, Sahid Rampurhat, Gana Devta Express, Shantiniketan Express and Visvabharati Fast Passenger. The travel time from Kolkata to Bolpur by train is around 2-3 hours.

By Road: People comfortable with road journey, Kolkata- Shantiniketan connectivity is quite convenient. There are several buses for Kolkata-Suri and Kolkata-Asansol routes. For Kolkata-Suri route, get into a bus, which is heading towards Suri and then get down at Ilambazar and change the bus for Shantiniketan. Likewise, for Kolkata-Asansol routes, board any Asansol bound bus and get down at Panagarh and change the bus to travel further till Shantiniketan. Anyone travelling to Shantiniketan of their own car, the distance from Kolkata is around 165Kms, which can be travelled in approximately 3 hours. Additionally, one can also reach Dankuni by local trains from Kolkata and take a ride from there via Durgapur Expressway, which is now a part of NH2.

Places to stay

Shantiniketan is always worth visiting. Hence, the place sees a good influx of visitors throughout the calendar. But during peak season, Shantiniketan is frequented by huge tourists from all across the globe. To attend the three-day event, availability of decent accommodations is always an obvious requirement for the visitors. Bolpur has plenty of budget hotels for delightful stay. However, the charges go higher during the carnival.

For your convenience, some of decent staying options are listed as follows: